The rowhouse groaned as wind rattled broken shutters, but the real storm was inside.
Ezra Pike stood in the middle of the living room, fists clenched, veins bulging. His eyes were wild, colder than usual. Silas sat in the corner, knees pulled up, muttering about the floorboards again. Naomi smoked by the window, silent but sharp, while Hollow watched it all with that dead, hollow stare.
"You gonna shut him up or what?" Ezra barked, pointing at Silas. "He's been talking to himself for two f***ing days. Talking about the floor, about voices. He's gonna crack, and when he cracks, we all go under with him."
Silas flinched but didn't stop muttering. "It's there… it's still there… I hear it at night, scratching."
Ezra snapped. He stormed across the room, snatched Silas by the collar, and slammed him against the wall so hard plaster rained down. "Scratch this, you little rat! You open your mouth outside this house, and I'll bury you under the boards myself!"
Naomi flicked ash into the sink, her voice calm but cutting. "Go ahead. Kill him here. Make it real easy for the cops sniffing around Franklin Street."
Ezra turned on her, fury in his eyes. "You think this is a joke, Naomi? You think they ain't watching already? One squeak, one slip, and it's all over."
Cormac finally moved, stepping between them, his hand resting lightly on Ezra's chest. His voice was low, dangerous. "You want to keep the kid quiet? Fine. But you don't make the house louder than it already is."
Ezra's jaw clenched. He shoved Silas one last time, then stepped back, breathing heavy. "You're losing control, Hollow. And when this ship sinks, I ain't drowning with it."
Cormac's cigarette glowed in the dark as he leaned in close, voice like a knife. "Then swim. See how long you last in open water."
For a long moment, silence hung heavier than the floorboards under their feet.
Naomi's eyes flicked to the patched wood, her voice soft but sharp. "It's not the house that's cracking. It's us."
And in the corner, Silas rocked back and forth, whispering: "It's already coming up."